Old Snowman Winter
by Uncle Charlie
Summary: Who do you turn to when you want to keep your snowman safe? If your grandfather happens to be an UNCLE agent, there's only one answer. A Mouth of Babes story


Alex pushed the huge ball of snow across the lawn. Inside his insulated snowsuit, a trickle of sweat crawled down his spine. This business of building snowmen was hard work. He looked over to the neat row of small snowmen that his little sister was building. Perhaps smaller was the way to go, but pride kept the six year old slaving away.

However, a break wasn't against his self-imposed rules and he flopped back into a snow bank and sighed. Fresh snow trickled down and rested on his eyelashes and cheeks.

"You makin' snow angels, Alex?" Irina's snow suit was brilliant pink against the white and it sort of hurt his eyes. "You have ta move your arms and legs, like this." She flapped her arms and Alex rolled his eyes.

"I'm not making angels. I'm resting."

"Whacha working so hard on?"

"The biggest and best snowman ever."

"Frosty was the best snowman ever," Irina said, returning to her diminutive snow figures.

"Well, next to Frosty." Alex got up and looked at the sky. It was starting to get dark. "I don't guess Grampy and Poppy are gonna make it home to sled with us."

"They have work." Irina was proud of how grown up she sounded. She had no idea what work was, but she guess it involved lots of un-fun stuff. Daddy never looked really happy when he got home. He needed to color more.

"I'm never gonna work," Alex announced, giving the snow ball one last shove. "Come and help me, Reenie."

"What are we doing?"

Alex pointed to a smaller ball of snow. "We gotta up that up there."

She brush a stray stand of blond hair from her face with a mitten. "'Kay."

It was a struggle, but they got it and a third even smaller ball in place.

"He's awfully big, Alex."

"Thank you." A sudden stab of conscience hit him. "Yours are nice, too," he added in case Santa was listening.

"Maybe yours could be the daddy and these could be his kids." She paused then and frowned. "He is a boy, isn't he?"

"He's a snow man," Alex said proudly.

"But how do you know?" Irina's eyes drifted from top to bottom.

"He's bald. When did you ever see a bald lady?"

Irina nodded. She couldn't wait until she was six and had all the answers.

"Alex! Irina!" Their mommy's voice interrupted their discussion. "Time to come in."

"Guess I'll finish him tomorrow," Alex said, patting one last piece of snow in place.

"You don't think they'll get lonely, do you?"

"I don't know."

"It's awfully dark out here." Irina was suddenly fearful. "What if something happens to them, Alex?"

"Then we just build new ones. They are only made of snow." Alex brushed off his gloves. "I bet Mommy made hot chocolate." He started back towards their house. "You coming?"

"Uh huh, but you go first."

Alex nodded and trudged his way through the snow to the house. Mommy opened the door and he marched up the stairs to the porch, freezing at the loud command to freeze.

Mommy attacked him with a broom, sweeping all the snow off him. It sort of tickled and he giggled. "What's so funny?"

"I'm like a big dust bunny."

"You are a big snow bunny. Now hop inside. Where is your sister?"

"She is saying good night to her snowmen. Mommy, can I have some hot chocolate?"

Lisle watched her firstborn struggle out of his snowsuit and boots. At six, he was trying to be very independent and she was trying hard to let him do things himself. "Did you have fun?"

"You bet! I builded-"

"Built. I built."

"You, too? What did you make? Cookies?" He held a foot out to her.

"As a matter of fact, I did…" She helped him off with his galoshes. "So, what did you build?"

"A big old snowman about twenty feet high." There were two wails from the kitchen.

"Oh, your brother and sister are awake. Let's get you warmed up!" It took Lisle nearly a half hour to realize she was missing a child. She berated herself for losing track of Irina, but to her relief, she saw the young girl coming down the stairs, still dressing in her pink snow suit.

"Reenie, what are you doing?"

"Makin' sure my snow babies are safe. I put them some place where they could sleep and not be afraid."

"Good girl. Let's get you out of that suit."

"Poppy's awfully brave, isn't he, Mommy?"

"He is, but so is Daddy and Grampy."

"But Poppy's the bravest?"

"I suppose so."

"That's what I think, too." Irina shivered as her sopping wet snowsuit was peeled off her. "He's my hero."

Lisle kissed her daughter. "Mine, too. I have hot chocolate in the kitchen."

"You're my secondest hero, Mommy."

"Guess I can live with that."

Lisle was just pouring hot chocolate into a cup full of marshmallows when they heard the front door open and Leon shout, "Hey, where is everyone?!"

She smiled at the sound of her husband's voice. "Daddy's home."

There was a mass exodus to the hallway where Leon squatted, his arms open for hugs. The happily plowed into them and Leon wrapped his coat around them. After a moment, both children struggled free of the fabric and Alex sighed.

"No presents yet," he announced sadly and they returned to the kitchen.

"I don't know if I've getting hugged or frisked these days," he mutterer as they trudged away. He looked over at Lisle and grinned. "How about a welcome for your gallant knight?"

Lisle stepped into the spot vacated by their children to both hug and kiss him. Unlike them, she was not in a hurry to wiggle free. "That give you an idea, old mate?" Lisle let a bit of her English accent creep out.

"Lots, but not with four kids around."

"It's those kinds of thoughts that resulted in us having four kids."

"What can I say? I'm my father's son."

"Speaking of such, where are our fathers?" She led him to the kitchen and took a deep breath, smiling at the aroma that permeated the air. The babies were sleeping their bassinet, dinner was on the stove and nearly everyone important to her were crowded around the kitchen table.

"They'll be late. It was a bad day for Section Three. He lost three agents and you know how that effects both of them. Illya is blaming himself for not having seen the trap. He looks like he'd been dragged behind a train.

"Poor Poppy," Irina said, looking sad. She picked up a pink crayon and began to color Rudolph's nose.

"It's just a figure of speech, Irina. It means he looks tired."

"Oh." Irina shook her head. "Grownups don't make any sense."

"I know exactly what she means." Leon kissed Lisle again and heard a noise. He looked over to where his young children stood, making faces.

"Kissing is yucky," Alex announced. "I'm not gonna kiss a girl like that."

Leon winked at his wife and growled, "I'm gonna get you and I'm gonna kiss you!"

"NO!" Alex raced away, with Irina on his heels. Lisle just smiled, shook her head and began to clear the table for dinner. Five years ago, she'd been a trained THRUSH agent. Nothing could have prepared her for this role, though. She grinned and sighed happily as she looked over at her slumbering twins. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Napoleon climbed out of the car with a sigh of happiness, followed by a groan. "The older I get, the more I have come to dread winter. It's fine as long as you don't have to do anything in it. I cannot believe the roads or the morons who think it's fine to drive fifty miles an hour in these conditions."

"Perhaps it is desirable to wrap themselves around a tree than face the future." It took Illya a bit longer to get out of the car, but Napoleon knew better than to offer any help. If Illya wanted it, he would ask. Until then, Napoleon pretended to not see how slowly and stiffly his partner was moving.

"A fire will feel good tonight, but bed will feel even better" Illya murmured, finally clearing the car. He slammed the car door harder than was necessary and limped up the sidewalk, taking care to avoid any icy patches.

Napoleon followed him and got his key out. However the door opened before he could use and his daughter in law was standing there.

"There you two are! I was worried about you."

"Traffic was a nightmare, as usual for a Friday night." Napoleon stepped inside and unbuttoned his overcoat. "I could remember a day when this was just the beginning of the week for me. Dinner out, dancing –"

"Flirting till dawn," Illya added.

Lisle hugged Napoleon first and then her father. "Leon said you had a bleak day."

"That's one word for it. I prefer another." Illya pulled off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair. Napoleon grabbed Illya's discarded garment, along with his and hung both in the closet.

"I kept something warm for you." Lisle released her father and brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. "It's only stew, but it's hardy and will fill you up."

Illya shook his head. "You go ahead, Napoleon. I'm just going to go to bed." He headed for the staircase and took a deep breath, then slowly began to climb them.

When he was sure his partner was out of ear shot, Napoleon sighed, shook his head and gestured to the kitchen. "Shall we, my sweet?"

Lisle watched the stairs, even though Illya was gone from view. "When Dad turns down food, that's bad."

"He had a very difficult day. He felt like it was due to a lack of insight on his part. I know that it isn't so, but you know how he gets when he decides upon something. If you wouldn't mind, could you put a plate together for him? I'll take it up to him later. I'm sure he'll be ready to eat after he's had a shower and some pain medication."

"Sure. Is it his hip? Why doesn't he talk to the surgeon?"

"He's tired of being cut open, Lisle, and I think a little afraid that this will be the time that they tell him they can't help him anymore. As long as he toughs it out, he doesn't have to face that hurdle."

"But he's out of the field for the most part anyhow. Why would it make a difference to be out all the way?"

Napoleon smiled sadly. "It's a matter of pride, my love. I was pulled from the field by Section One. I wasn't past my prime. Your father, he doesn't want to lose that little bit of the man who once was the terror of Section Two."

"It must be a man thing. I had no trouble once I became a mother."

"It is very much a man thing and I can offer no more than that."

Illya paused on the landing, his eyes screwed shut in pain, listening to the discussion below. Napoleon tended to forget that while other parts of his body were showing signs of aging, Illya's hearing was still far above average.

Why did he continue to push himself the way he did? Whenever he was stressed, it went straight to his hip. His entire side felt like it was on fire. The thought of crawling into bed and staying there for the rest of his life was too attractive for its own good and he fought against that. But why? He could easily do his job from behind a desk. Perhaps he would be even more effective behind one and could stop trying to pretend he was still a viable agent.

Alex walked past him, wrapped up in a towel. "Hi, Poppy! I missed you today. I builded a huge snowman."

"I missed you, too, Alex." Clenching his teeth, Illya bent down and gave the boy a hug. "I saw your snowman. It is magnificent. But I think you got the carrot in the wrong spot. It's supposed to go on his face."

"But, Poppy, it's a boy snowman."

Illya smirked and released his grandson. "I understand now."

"Alex, quit stalling and get in here. I'm waiting and this water isn't getting any warmer!" Leon was standing by the bathroom door, his sleeves rolled up and a wash cloth in one hand. "One more second and your sub goes into a permanent dive."

"All right, Daddy." Alex sighed heavily. "Santa better be takin' notes… good ones"

"I'm sure he is. Have a good bath."

"That would only happen if there is no soap involved." The boy trudged down the hall and disappeared into the bathroom, past his father.

"You doing okay, Chief?" Leon watched Illya slowly straightened, but didn't offer to help. Illya appreciated that if not the question.

"I'm fine, Leon. Nothing that a good night's sleep and a handful of pain pills won't fix." Slowly, Illya turned and nearly collided with Irina. Her cheeks were berry red and she seemed out of breath. "Where did you come from?"

"I was saying good night to my snow babies. They are all tucked in safe and sound." She hugged Illya's leg and he barely kept from moaning. "I love you, Poppy. Thank you for keeping them safe."

"I love you, too, sweetheart." Illya was confused. "And you are welcome."

"IRINA!" Leon bellowed from the bathroom. "NOW!"

"Coming, Daddy." She raced away and Illya limped to the second floor staircase. With a heavy sigh, he started the climb up that last flight of stairs.

The small apartment was cool and Illya flicked on a tableside lamp before adjusted the heat. Napoleon would turn it down when he came in, but for now, it would drive the cold from the room. Illya walked to his bedroom and undressed carefully, shivering slightly. The last thing he needed was a fall to truly ruin his day.

Grabbing his robe, he headed for the shower. The one nice thing about this apartment was that they had their own water heater. It wasn't very big, but it was enough to supply them with as much hot water as they needed and tonight he needed a lot.

Happy that they had a stall shower and not a bathtub, Illya turned the water on and waited for it to heat up. While he waited, he brushed his teeth and took two painkillers. That would ensure that he slept tonight. The room became thick with steam vapor and Illya dragged a deep breath of it in and then exhaled slowly.

He stayed beneath the stream of water for a long time, but finally he could feel the first tendrils of the painkiller seeping into his bloodstream. Now he needed to climb into bed before they hit entirely or Napoleon would be picking him up off the floor.

He toweled off, pulled on his pajamas and headed for bed. Flipping back the blankets, he stopped and stared, glancing over his shoulder as he heard the front door to their apartment open and close.

"Illya?"

"Bedroom!"

Napoleon came up behind him. "I brought you some dinner. What's wrong?"

"Why is my bed wet and full of sticks and stones?"

"I don't know, but I might have a clue and it has nothing to do with name calling."

Illya waited as patiently as he ever did. "Which is?"

"Irina told her mother that she was worried that something might happen to her snowmen-"

"Snow babies, she called them."

"Yes, she said you were her hero and told Lisle that she made sure they were safe and not be afraid of the dark. " Napoleon looked past Illya. "I'm guessing that's your bed." Illya stared at him for a long moment and then moved away. "Where are you going?"

"Your bed. And bring the food."

Napoleon saluted and followed behind him. "I can change your bed and flip the mattress, if you'd prefer."

"No, just try not to toss and turn too much tonight."

Napoleon caught up with Illya just as he sat down on the edge of Napoleon's bed. He tilted Illya's head back and looked into Illya's eyes. "How much did you take?"

"Just two."

"That's enough to drop a charging bull in his tracks." He handed Illya the bowl and a spoon.

He watched Illya eat and Illya knew Napoleon was trying to figure out a way to approach the elephant that was in the room. "I will talk to the surgeon on Monday," he murmured, passing the empty bowl back. "And try to schedule surgery before Christmas."

"Are you certain?"

"It's time. I'm tired of hurting and if it buys me another year in the field, then I'll do it."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I shall have to be content keeping snow babies safe for my granddaughter." He yawned and eased himself into bed. "It's a small enough price to pay."

He felt Napoleon squeeze his shoulder gently. "There's nothing small about you, partner, especially your heart."

"Turn out the light, please."

The room darkened and Illya felt the bed dip as Napoleon climbed in beside him and settled in for a long winter's nap. Tomorrow Illya would take on the dragons and monsters that awaited him, but tonight, he was content to be a guardian of snow babies and a partner to his best friend.


End file.
